thunder struck - barren and stark, against the full moon, howling.

a tree branch cracked - and I felt my heart snap -

and my hands shook, worn and lined from years of spilling my soul, on pages upon pages of ink, that turned to blood.

and you, you, oh my dear soul, how your silence speaks louder than the mightiest maelstrom and I, my wings, white, mourning.

I set my body to fire - blazing like lightning that struck once, my breath the wind, my hair the grass, my eyes cloudbursts, my arms rushes and reeds, my blood, crimson bursts of buds that bloomed, and my smile - the sunburst, that once did give sight to your now blinded eyes.

you would not recognize me as I do not, you for I am taller than the mightiest oak - my limbs reach through the dirt and earth, to crevices and fault-lines that can hold this planet together or break it, apart.

and you, you once held me dear, so dear, oh so utterly dear, and now -

you are a rock, stuck in mud, not moving, gathering moss, and I peer down low and kneel, in holy prayer, and pick you up once, in my palms, so utterly precious -

and throw you

as far as my soul can see.

photo and words © Susan Marie